


Impulsive and Crazy Forever

by NickelModelTales



Category: Original Work
Genre: 1970s, Cruise Ships, Dubious Consent, F/M, Hypnotism, Marriage, Porn With Plot, Post-High School, Romance, Sad Ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-09
Updated: 2019-03-09
Packaged: 2019-11-14 04:03:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18045092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NickelModelTales/pseuds/NickelModelTales
Summary: Two madly-in-love newlyweds embarking on an international cruise encounter the ship’s magician and stage hypnotist.  Does this stranger have an abnormal interest in the young bride?





	1. The Good Ones are the Ones Who Get Away

**Author's Note:**

> Some time ago, a reader requested a story where a married couple would encounter a stage hypnotist. The wife would be mesmerized into becoming the hypnotist’s assistant, and then later his wife. No-one had ever challenged me with such a complete plot before, so of course I had to do it.

**_Seton Village, NM_ **

**_1975_ **

Jim rubbed his jaw in appreciation.  There it was, the Butterday Diner, still in need of a paint job.  The OPEN neon sign still desperately flickered as if about to die at any moment.  The smell of pancakes and fried food still wafted from the kitchens.

High school was now, what, seven years removed?  It seemed like a lifetime.

With an odd mix of nostalgia and apprehension, Jim climbed up the three stairs to the entrance, then sauntered inside.  The hostess, a woman he thankfully didn’t recognize, sat him at the counter.  The jukebox was still loaded with 45’s from twenty years ago.  Apparently no-one here knew how to change them.

Pretending to be interested in the menu, Jim glanced about cautiously.  Did he see any faces he recognized?  Well, a few.  But all things considered…

“…Jim **_Gerson?_** ” a young woman’s voice exclaimed.

The handsome young man nearly fell off his stool.  There, behind the counter, was Ruby Maples.  **_The_** Ruby Maples.  Homecoming queen from the year they graduated.  Star of the all school musicals.  An excellent dancer and baton-twirler.  The most beautiful woman Jim had ever seen.

Ruby was wearing a waitress’s light blue uniform.  She made it look positively glamorous.  Her radiant face beamed at Jim, making her eyes sparkle even more than usual.  Oh, those eyes…!  Deep and hazel and glowing with a light all of their own.  Jim had a few old Polaroids with Ruby in them, but he’d forgotten how enchanting her eyes could be.  Her eyes, high cheeks, and round lips made Ruby’s allure all the rarer.  Her sandy red hair joyfully bounced in a big ponytail.  Jim couldn’t help but stare.

Ruby’s eyes danced as she hurried towards Jim.  She eagerly reached over the counter, grasping both of his hands in hers.

“Jim Gerson,” she repeated, sounding delighted.  “I **_thought_** that was you!”

“Ruby!” Jim stammered.  “I… uh, wow.  Jeez, its **_good_** to see you.”

“Yeah,” agreed Ruby, smiling from ear to ear now.  She released Jim’s hands.  “Good Lord, how long has it been?  You plumb vanished right after graduation.”

Jim shrugged.  “I did.  College, you know.  Then went into business.”

“My word,” breathed Ruby.

They made awkward small talk.  Jim was at a loss for words.  “Its… really… good to see you,” he fumbled, wishing he had something – anything – clever to offer.

“You too,” Ruby nodded, her smile still glowing.

“Waitress?” a distant customer grumbled.  “More coffee?”

Ruby cast her eyes down.  “Well,” she said, “it was good to see you.”

“Yeah…” Jim agreed.

The waitress moved away, and Jim couldn’t help but watch her.  Ruby was as tantalizing as he’d always remembered.  Even as a common waitress, she was sexy and gorgeous, the girl he remembered fantasizing about so many, many times.

At the other end of the counter, Ruby hesitated, her fingers an inch from the coffee pot.  She turned her head, looking back at Jim.  Holding his breath, the young man desperately held her gaze.

A strange smile flickered over the waitress’s face.  She spun on her sneakers and hurried back to Jim.  The young man remained transfixed.

“I know this is… so impulsive…” Ruby murmured, her eyes flashing.  “But would you like to meet me for a drink tonight?”

**********

The Cowgirl Bar & Grill had become a little more upscale than Jim remembered.  The creaky old chairs had been replaced, and the soft lighting created a much better atmosphere.  The menu included some new drafts, although he didn’t recognize any of the fancy European names.

To his surprise, Ruby was on time, dressed in a checkered button-down, jean skirt, cowboy boots, and a red bandana tying back her hair.  “Like it?” she giggled, twirling when he gaped.  “I was feeling impulsive, and I thought you’d appreciate my little cowgirl theme.  Eh?”

Jim could only nod and smile like a fool.  Why, a mere decade ago, he’d been a fifteen-year-old whelp, skinnier than a beanpole, not a muscle on his frame anywhere.  They hadn’t nicknamed him “Extra Small” for nothing.  Smart as a whip, Jim had argued with his teachers, wrecked the grading curves, and easily captured the Valedictorian spot in their graduating class.  Yet despite his rugged good looks and obvious brains, pretty girls had passed him in the hallway and never noticed him.

And Ruby Maples?  The most outgoing, most beautiful girl in all of Santa Fe County?  Jim had admired her from afar ever since they were in grade school together.  But she’d never once glanced in his direction.

Until today.

The two selected a booth in the back, and to Jim’s surprise, Ruby snuggled in beside him.  “I haven’t seen you since graduation,” she said excitedly, after they’d ordered a pitcher of beer.  “Tell me **_everything_** since then!”

Jim found himself happily babbling like a fool.  He glossed over his college years, omitting the awards and distinctions he snagged.  But he did mention his years studying abroad in Europe.  “Now I’m starting my own company,” he said modestly.  “It’s a lot of work, but lucrative in the long run.  I hope.”

Ruby sucked in a breath, impressed.  “ ** _Europe?_**   My word…!” she exclaimed.  “I always knew you’d go far.”

“I didn’t go that far,” shrugged Jim.  “These days, Miami is just eight hours away.”

“That’s not what I meant,” chided his beautiful companion.  “Your company, it must do something brilliant.”

“We book tour packages and cruises,” Jim said, feeling oddly nervous.  “But our twist is, we do it by computer.  We have computer records of all the major resorts and cruise lines, so when you book with us, we can get you a ticket in hours, not weeks.”  He grinned bashfully.  “We’re first in the nation to do this, as far as I can tell.”

“Using computers to book vacations,” marveled Ruby, shaking her head.  “Why, that’s… crazy smart.”

“Or just crazy,” Jim replied, sipping his beer.  His thin body couldn’t take too much alcohol; already he was feeling its effects.  “But that’s me, right?  Downright crazy.”  He stuck out his tongue and waggled his eyebrows, playing the madman.

It was a terrible joke, but Ruby chuckled all the same.  She pressed against Jim a little more, and he could feel the gentle warmth of her body.

“How about you?” Jim said, genuinely interested.  “Senior year, you were dating…  Jessie Macon, right?”

“Yeah,” replied Ruby, her cheerful expression fading.  “Well, it turns out Jessie wasn’t such a good guy.”  She looked down at the table, fiddling with a napkin.

Jim waved a hand.  “Sorry,” he mumbled.  “Forget I asked.”

“No,” Ruby said quickly.  “Its okay.  I should probably be apologizing to you.  My life…”  She looked embarrassed.  “…my life is so boring.”

“You could never be boring,” Jim said softly.

“Oh, you’d be surprised,” retorted Ruby in a dry voice.

“Uh-huh,” grunted Jim, smiling like an idiot.

Sheepishly, Ruby grinned back.

“Can I ask you something?” Jim said, suddenly feeling brave.

Ruby raised her thin eyebrows.

“Back in school…” murmured the young man, “I always thought you didn’t think too much of me.”

“Ah,” Ruby replied.

“I once helped you pick up your books,” Jim told her.  “You thought my name was Eugene.  And we’d been going to school together since Mrs. Johnson’s first grade.”

Ruby turned beet red.  “Did I?” she exclaimed in horror.  A reflexive hand covered her mouth.

“You did,” said Jim, beginning to regret his question.

His redheaded companion pursed her lips, looking abashed.  “I don’t remember that,” she admitted.  “But I was a real space case in those days.  I was smoking a lot of… um…”

“Okay, got it,” Jim said quickly, eager to let her off the hook.

Ruby put a small hand on Jim’s forearm.  “But I **_absolutely_** knew who you were,” she insisted.  “Oh my Lord, you were **_Jim Gerson_** , the kid who always made Mr. Melbank look like a fool in AP History class.  You were the guy who went to a school board meeting and argued that Washington’s and Lincoln’s birthdays should be separate school holidays… and you won!  You gobbled up national scholarships that no one else in Seton Village could have gotten.  You were – **_are_** – a genius.”

“And I’ll tell you something,” confessed Ruby, leaning closer.  “When I was young, all I wanted was a boyfriend who had a motorcycle.  And some beer.  Turns out that was a really dumb goal in life.  I should have wanted for bigger things.”

“Like what?” Jim asked, enchanted.

Ruby’s eyes shone as she stared across the bar and into an imaginary horizon.  “I’d love to get out of Seton Village,” she exclaimed, her hopes gushing from her freely now.  “See the world, you know?  Go to the great cities in Europe where I can’t read the menus and they sit around and drink wine all day.  Or sail!  I’ve always loved ships.”

“Sounds corny, right?” she asked, her cheeks pink.  “The silly girl from a no-where desert town wants to be a globetrotter.”

“There’s still time for all of that,” Jim assured, putting his hand on top of hers.

Ruby looked at him squarely.  “No-one who grows up in Seton Village ever leaves Seton Village,” she said.  “No-one… except you.”

In the softest of voices, she added, “I always knew you’d go places, Jim.”  Her fingers squeezed his arm, just a little bit.

The young man was spellbound, unable to look away or offer any reply.

“And I **_always_** knew who you were,” Ruby whispered, her bright eyes drawing closer to Jim.  She raised a delicate hand to brush the side of his face.  “I should have told you how much I admired you back when.  You were so smart.  So cool.  You could have taken over the world.”

“You were good in school, too,” Jim mumbled.

“Oh, I learned all the important stuff far too late,” her lips replied.  “Like… the good ones are the ones who get away.”

Jim and Ruby’s noses were nearly touching now.  The beautiful redhead sighed, and her hazel eyes grew softer.

“Can I tell you something?” she barely breathed.

“Anything,” murmured Jim.

“I’m gonna do something completely impulsive, okay?” Ruby whispered.  “Don’t judge me?”

“Sure,” Jim promised.

Ruby closed her eyes.  She leaned forward, placing the softest of kisses on Jim’s lips.

Time stopped.

Jim felt his heart beating, his lungs filling with air.  The soft jazz on the bar speakers danced in his ears.  He was aware of his body resting in the booth seat, and of Ruby’s leg and arms pressed against him.

But most of all, Jim’s world consisted of those two soft lips, caressing his own.  He could sense their warmth, their quiet strength, and their gentle texture.  Even with the barest of physical movement, Ruby was a wonderful kisser.

Jim felt a whole eternity of longing dissolve within that tiny moment.

**********

Ruby’s little apartment was twenty minutes south, off Route 466.  The new couple fumbled and kissed at the door, eager to be inside.

“It’s a little messy,” warned the embarrassed waitress.

Jim grinned, holding her close.  He didn’t care if Ruby’s place was harboring piles of toxic sludge.

Within three minutes, they were in Ruby’s bedroom, shoving her discarded laundry off the mattress and pulling at each other’s clothes.  Ruby let Jim remove her blouse, but slipped out of her jeans herself.  He gaped in astonishment to see her white belly, firm and toned from aerobics.  She’d kept in shape.

“I would still cheerlead, if they’d let me,” giggled Ruby, and she did a gleeful little cheer pose for Jim.

He grinned, feeling like the luckiest son of a bitch in the world.

“Mmm,” Ruby murmured seductively, her eyes descending down Jim’s body.  She gingerly pressed an index finger against the bulge in Jim’s pants.  “Hello, there.”

“You’re so fucking hot,” breathed Jim.

His words had a seductive effect on his red-haired companion.  Ruby’s eyelids lowered and she bit her lip.  With a prize-winning come-hither expression, she climbed onto the bed, remaining on all fours.  “Take off my panties,” she said in a husky voice.

Jim was delighted as the underwear peeled off in one, smooth motion.  Ruby twisted around to sit on her butt, and lifted a leg.  Her toes grasped at Jim’s belt, as if she could remove it with her foot alone.

In seconds, Jim unzipped and was completely nude.  He climbed on top of Ruby, who allowed him to remove her bra.

Now they were both naked, Ruby sitting almost upright, her arms propping her torso up, Jim crouched in her lap.  The two French-kissed, deep, greedy kisses that clinked teeth.  Jim almost came as he felt Ruby’s nude breasts press against his stomach.

This was all happening so fast.  Just a few minutes ago, they’d been outside, Ruby fumbling for her keys.

“Mmmm…” moaned the waitress, mid-kiss.  She tilted her head back, allowing Jim’s lips to probe her cheeks and neck.  “Oh God…” she gasped over and over.

“I want you in me,” she said suddenly.  “ ** _Right now_** , baby, I want you right now.  Fuck me **_so hard_** , okay baby?  Right now!”

And then the two were scrambling, changing positions.  Ruby got on her hands and knees, and pressed her rear into Jim’s waiting hands.  He was standing on his knees, gazing down at her slender, naked back and wild red hair in complete wonder.

There had been almost no foreplay.  But Jim could smell Ruby’s arousal.  He slid his hand between her legs and brushed her vagina, and was even hornier to see she was wet on the outside.  His cock, straining to begin with, now almost launched itself from his crotch.

“Oh, baby…” the waitress moaned, her voice becoming course.  “Do me **_hard_** , okay baby?”

Jim gripped Ruby firmly by the buttocks.  In the dim light, he could see how round they were, and his fingers could appreciate their firmness.  His penis was finding its way between her legs all on its own.

“I don’t have a condom,” Jim gasped.

“I don’t care,” was Ruby’s moaning reply.  “I don’t fucking care.  Fuck me so hard, baby, fuck me so hard, yeah…!”  Her voice dissolved into horny mumbles of pleasure.

As if under a spell, Jim lost his self-control.  He pushed his tip forward, tasting Ruby’s moistness for himself.  She cried out softly, let out a low murmur of pleasure, then began pushing back onto his cock.

The two new lovers hovered there, both entranced by the rapture their bodies were creating.  Jim felt his heart pound and his penis sing with uncontrollable delight.  His fingers pressed harder against Ruby’s taught flesh.

“Oh, yeah, baby,” the naked woman whimpered.  “Now do me **_so hard_** , baby, so hard!”

It was a command Jim couldn’t resist.  He obediently thrust forward, and his shaft felt hard and powerful while plunging deep into Ruby.  Soon, he was thrusting in and out at top speed, plowing this incredible woman as if she might vanish at any minute.

At first, Jim was afraid he was failing Ruby somehow.  He was pumping her at full strength, with all the speed he could muster.  And yet, she wasn’t making a sound.

But in fact, Ruby was so swept away, her voice momentarily lost all power.  The waitress clutched her pillow, nearly shredding it as the penis slammed into her, again and again and again.  She felt an ecstasy between her legs beyond what she’d ever known.

And then, Ruby was shouting with joy, crying wordless gasps of pure delight.  Jim’s cock was angled **_just so_** , perfectly rubbing her spot as he rushed in and out.  Each thrust blasted her further into a bubbly heaven, and she loved being swept along.

“ ** _Yes!_** ” screamed Ruby, pounding the mattress with her clawed hands.  “Yes, baby!  Yes, yes, yes!!!”

Jim, unable to do anything by move his hips faster and faster, felt himself erupt.  He was cumming at full blast.

At the same time, Ruby’s nerves overloaded.

“Ohhhhhhhhhh fuck!” she yelled, pushing her face into the pillow.  And she came too.

The bed, already creaking and swaying, began slamming against the drywall.  If Jim and Ruby hadn’t run out of steam, they might have damaged the apartment building’s foundation.

**********

The two lovers rested, then found themselves kissing and fondling one another.  Neither Jim nor Ruby nudged the other; the sex simply started happening again.  They rolled over and over in the sheets, giggling and moaning in their pleasure.  When their passion was too much to resist, they fucked again, this time with Ruby on her back, so they could kiss while Jim came inside her.

After the second round came another lull of naked cuddling.  Then a third bout of sex.  And then a forth.  Each time they embraced, Jim couldn’t stop running his grateful hands over Ruby’s soft, curvy body.  And this drove her wild.  Soon they would be locked in an embrace, and soon after that, they’d be having sex.  Glorious, caution-thrown-to-the-wind sex.

**********

Jim grunted softly.  Sunlight was streaming through Ruby’s bedroom curtains, stabbing his eyes.

Ruby was still fast asleep, facing Jim, her arms wrapped around his neck, her legs intertwined with his.  Jim’s left arm was pinned beneath her, and it was tingling with numb pain.  His right arm lazily hung over her hip, and his fingers were resting on her rear.  He must have fondly stroked it, even in his sleep.

Groggily, Jim stirred, and his jostling woke Ruby.  Her beautiful eyes slowly opened, and she smiled lazily to see Jim before her.

“Hey there,” she croaked, then kissed him gently on the lips.

Jim carefully brushed the red hair from her eyes.  He never wanted to leave this bed.

“Last night,” sighed Ruby happily, “it was so crazy, right?”

Jim grinned.  “Well, I told you:  I’m downright crazy, remember?”

“Yeah, well maybe I need to stop being so impulsive,” the beautiful woman chided herself.  “I swear, I’ve never done anything like this before.”

“I know,” Jim whispered.  “I like that you’re impulsive.”

Ruby playfully tussled Jim’s hair.  “Well, then that’s us.  Impulsive and crazy, right?”

“Impulsive and Crazy,” echoed Jim.  “I like that.  I like that a lot.”

Ruby merely grinned.  Then she pulled Jim closer and started kissing him deeply.

**********

“How long are you in town, Jim?”

Ruby asked the question with a forced casualness.  But Jim could hear the longing in her voice.

It was now nearly eleven o’clock in the morning.  And as much as Jim wanted to spend the whole day in Ruby’s bed, they had to return to their lives.  Jim had climbed out of Ruby’s little shower, and was restoring his clothes.  Ruby was still naked, lying belly-down on the bed.

Jim hated to answer.  “I’m in just town to oversee the closure of my dad’s estate,” he said slowly.

Jim and had father had not been close.  Until stopping in the Butterday Diner, the young man had hoped to sign the final papers and then be back on the next flight to Miami.  Computer Travels LLC needed its owner and manager.

“Oh,” Ruby said, and she fell silent.

Jim paused, a wave of sadness cascading over him.  He sat next to Ruby, placing a loving hand on her shoulder.

“But I can stay for a few days,” he murmured.

Ruby looked up at him, hope in her eyes.

“Hey,” grinned Jim.  “At work, I’m the boss.  I decide when I go back to the office.”

**********

In the end, the young businessman was able to extend his trip for three weeks.  He spent the days racking up a truly frightful long-distance bill.  Ruby arranged to work the breakfast and lunch shifts.  Then, in the evening, they’d retreat into the seclusion of Ruby’s apartment.  And they’d make love.

The sex kept getting wilder and more passionate.  Jim embraced Ruby’s kinky side, which delighted and touched her.  No man had ever accepted her strange quirks in the bedroom before, not with the grace or humor as Jim.  And he could make her squirm and climax like no other.  The other waitresses at Butterday noticed a spring in Ruby’s step and a glint in her eye they’d never noticed before.

**********

But Jim could hold off returning to Miami for only so long.  His office noticed a computer error that double-charged repeat customers; only Jim, the system designer, could find and correct that problem.  Worse, the company was taking on more European cruise lines.  But those contracts had yet to be signed.

“I **_have_** to get back to Miami,” Jim softly told Ruby that night over dinner.  The two were in Ruby’s tiny kitchen, sharing a TV dinner.  “There’s no way around it.”

Ruby’s eyes fell, but she nodded.  “I know,” was all she could say.

Jim stared at his plate, his stomach flipping.

“Why don’t you come with me?” he said suddenly.

The waitress looked up.  “To Miami?”

“To Miami,” Jim said, hurriedly move to kneel before her.  “And then… the rest of the world!”

“What?” Ruby smiled, tickled by his romantic streak.

“C’mon.  Let’s just go, you and me,” coaxed Jim, taking both her hands.  “I have a lot of work to do at the office, but then someone has to fly to Europe, take some of the cruises, see firsthand exactly we’re offering the customers.  That could be you ‘n me.”  He pulled her at her arms, gently.  “ ** _C’mon._** ”

Ruby stared, her eyes dancing.  “That’s completely crazy,” she exclaimed.

“My middle name is Crazy, remember?” the young businessman chided.  “We could go to Greece, Italy, Turkey, Wales, Portugal, Sweden… you name it.  Why not?”

Before he could stop himself, Jim added, “There are really great discounts for married couples, you know.”

Ruby yanked her hands back, covering her mouth in shock.

Immediately, Jim wanted to kick himself.  _Idiot!_ he thought in despair.  _You mentioned marriage?  Jesus, what’s_ **wrong** _with you?_

But Ruby wasn’t mortified.  Jim realized she was struggling to contain a trembling smile.  Her shoulders trembled with a flood of emotion.

“Forget I said that,” Jim blurted quickly.  “We wouldn’t have to-“

“You want me to marry you?” Ruby squeaked.

Jim froze, torn between hope and fear.  Ruby clutched her hands to her face, trying her best to hold in her feelings.

“I guess…” mumbled the young man, “…I mean…  yes.”

Ruby gasped, the briefest of gasps.  The world seemed to stop turning in that moment.

“Yes,” she gushed.  “ ** _Yes!_**   Let’s do it!  Let’s get married!”

Jim’s head reeled.  “You’re serious?”

Ruby leapt out of her chair, climbing into his arms.  The two lovers nearly toppled onto the kitchen floor.

“I’m so serious,” she assured him, her smile as bright as the sun.  Then she kissed him.

The joyous couple nearly started making love right there, on the faded linoleum.

“Oh my God!” Jim exclaimed in joy.

“I know!” giggled his fiancée.  “This is **_nothing_** but impulsive, right?”

They pulled at one another’s clothing.

*********

And so, Impulsive wed Crazy, after a madcap, overnight drive to Las Vegas.  The two exchanged blubbery vows in the Love Chapel, right off East Washington Ave., with only a bored-looking minister as their witness.  Their whole ceremony was over in the blink of an eye.  Bride and groom couldn’t stop laughing in their joy.

After tucking into the Samson Motel for some badly needed shut-eye, Mr. and Mrs. James Gerson hopped back on the road.  They never once turned on the radio, instead managing to talk and talk and talk all the way back from Vegas.  It seemed that they never lacked for a topic.

But there was now a lot of work to do.  The newlyweds were determined to move Ruby out of her apartment and across the country in less than a week.

**********


	2. This Trick Will Amaze You, I Think

**_Three months later…_ **

Ruby liked Miami.  The weather was far more humid than she expected, but the days were warm and sunny.  People there drove faster and spoke a bit coarser.  Half the street names she couldn’t pronounce.  And it was all but impossible to find her favorite country songs on the radio.

But then Ruby sank her teeth into her first Cuban sandwich… and all was forgiven.

Jim’s office was in Upper Eastside, not far from the hospital.  At first, he wanted to hire his new wife as the company receptionist, but everyone else wisely vetoed this idea.  And after some patient searching, Ruby found a job in a nail salon, which she liked far better.  Things were looking up.

*********

It was late Thursday.  Jim got home, already feeling beat.

“My word!” his wife exclaimed, switching off Mary Tyler Moore.  “You hungry?”

“Yeah,” smiled Jim, appreciating his wife a little more as she scurried to the oven to reheat the stew.  He sank into the couch.

Ruby curled up next to him, ruffling his hair.  “Its good to see you, baby.”

Tired, the young businessman leaned his head against his wife’s shoulder in appreciation.  He kicked off his Doc Martens, then reached for his briefcase.

“Oh, almost forgot.  I have something for you…” he said, adopting a mysterious tone.  “These just came in today.”

He pressed four brochures into Ruby’s waiting hands.  They were black-and-white, with grainy photographs.  Two were in French.

“These…” exclaimed Ruby, inspecting the leaflets, “these are for cruise lines!”

“ ** _European_** cruise lines,” noted her husband, sitting up.  “We’re thinking about adding all of them to the database next year.  But before we do, we need more information.  You’re holding all we know about them in your hands, right now.”

“Huh,” Ruby commented, flipping through the folded pages.  “These look expensive.”

“Oh, that’s the best part,” Jim smirked.  “To entice us to sign with them, all four are offering ‘Evaluation Opportunities’ in the near future.”

Ruby looked at her husband, her expression blank.

“They’re gonna give us free tickets for a cruise,” said Jim, enjoying the moment.  “You and me, we get first pick.  Where do you want to go?”

“Are you **_fucking_** kidding me?” Ruby cried, inadvertently swearing.  Miami was wearing off on her a little too well.

“Where do you want to go, baby?” Jim repeated.

Ruby sprang forward, kissing her husband.  “Oh my word!” she gasped, inspecting the brochures again with delight.

**********

Jim let Ruby make the final decision.  It bothered the young businessman that he’d never given his bride a proper honeymoon, and, well, this seemed to be the best opportunity.  The only catch was that he couldn’t afford to be on a ship and unreachable for more than two weeks.  So automatically the Nordic Adventures Cruise Line was out.

No matter.  Ruby scrutinized the remaining three brochures, even venturing to the library to consult travel books.  The British Isles Line was tempting, but after growing somewhat accustomed to Cuban cuisine, she doubted she’d care for English food.  And the West Germany-Belgium-France tour seemed to only stop at industrial cities, which sounded boring.

But the Luxury Star Cruise Lines were offering a sun-soaked voyage through the Mediterranean, with stops in Gibraltar, Barcelona, Cannes, Naples, Palermo, and then Piraeus!  There were four beaches listed in the itinerary, and Readers’ Digest declared Mediterranean dining to be the finest in the world.  Ruby was impressed.

Luxury Star Cruises was the one.  Jim’s secretary made the phone calls the next day.

**********

If Jim was to leave the country, he needed to complete a lot of work before stepping away from Computer Travels LLC.  There were long nights at the office.  It worried Jim that he couldn’t be more attentive to his bride, but the situation couldn’t be helped.

While driving home one weary Thursday night, Jim noticed a jeweler’s shop, still open.  Feeling both guilty and romantic, he made an impulsive decision, and pulled into the parking lot.

“Can I help you sir?” the wizened old shopkeep asked as Jim entered.

“What do you have in lockets?” Jim asked, glancing over the display cases.  “I’d like to surprise my wife.”

“Oh, an old-fashioned man, are you?” the shopkeep chuckled.  “You want to give it to her at dinner?”

“No…” replied Jim, browsing the selections.  “No, we’re about to go abroad.  I was thinking I’d pop it in her coat pocket, and let her find it at a random moment.  Let fate decide when I tell her how much I love her.”

“Ah, that’s brilliant,” beamed the older man.

Jim grinned, then tapped the glass.  “That one.  Can you do a customized engraving in under a week?”

**********

**_One month later…_ **

While Jim struggled with the luggage, Ruby handled the tickets and passports.  They were boarding the MS _Ange des Mers_ , an older but still magnificent cruise liner, docked in Gibraltar Harbour.  Despite jet lag and that queasy _rosto_ she’d had for lunch, the young woman could not have been more ecstatic.  “Are we **_really_** doing this?” she excitedly asked her weary husband over and over.

After two mishaps with directions, the Mr. and Mrs. Gerson found their way down to E-Deck.  Their tiny cabin was off the port side.  Somehow Jim crammed their bulging trunk through the door.

“There…!” the young man wheezed.  His face was unnaturally red.  “Can… we… sit… for a… bit?”

“What, are you daft?” squealed Ruby, bouncing on her heels.  “We gotta explore the ship!  C’mon!”

Before Jim could protest, she grabbed his arm and propelled him down the corridor.  Iron chains couldn’t have restrained her.

**********

The _Ange_ had fourteen decks, the upper five devoted to passenger restaurants and diversions.  While in port, the Grand Ballroom on A-Deck had been converted into a miniature Shipboard Activities Expo, with booths set up for every activity on the ship.  Already, most of the other passengers were present, signing up eagerly.

“Cripes, we gotta get in on this,” Ruby declared, after the aerobics instructor announced all her classes were full.  “What should we do?”

“Nothing involving dancing,” Jim warned her.

“ _Pfft,_ ” Ruby snorted.  “Wimp.”

Although the competition was fierce, Ruby managed to secure spots in the painting class, the bowling league, and even a two-hour appointment in the spa.  After booking one candlelit dinner-for-two in the Crystal Pavilion Restaurant, she turned her attention to entertainment.

“Stand-up comic,” she read from her information packet, “lounge singer, musical theatre review, magician… I think… lip sync battle…  Wow, what do we opt for?”

None of this appealed to Jim.  “What if we spent time on the gaming deck?” he suggested.

“Oh, you’re no fun,” teased Ruby.  She scrunched up her nose.  “Oh wait… all of these shows… they’re all in French or Italian.”  Disappointed, the young woman scowled.  “Really?  There’s nothing for English-only speakers?”

Jim chided her, “In Europe, ‘English-speaking only’ means ‘Americans.’  We may be the only two on board.”

“Phooey,” sulked Ruby.  “I really wanted to see a show.”

**********

The _Ange des Mers_ cast off that afternoon, and by dinnertime, they were in international waters.  Ruby kept making excuses to walk along the deck, if only so she could see the open sea one more time.  Her eyes sparkled with sheer excitement; it was hard for Jim not to fall in love with her a little bit more.

Their first full day, a Monday, was spent sunning themselves by the pool and trying to talk with the other passengers.  While Jim was right – there were no other Americans – there was a sizable population of Brits and Scots on board.  Jim was invited to two different games of Spades that night alone.

Day Two was even more leisurely.  Ruby attended a painting class, but thought the instructor was a hopeless pig.  After another four hours at the pool, she was started to grow restless.

“Who knew being on a cruise could be so boring?” she groused.

Their candlelit dinner at the Crystal Pavilion wasn’t until Saturday night, four long days ahead.  After eating in the C-Deck Dining Hall, there was nothing to do for the rest of the evening.

“Why don’t we check out the gaming deck?” Jim prodded, only for the seventeenth time that day.

“Gaming?” grumbled Ruby.  “Ugh.  Fine.”

Jim perked up.  “I’ll wear my tux!  You could change into that little red dress, the one with-“

“You want to play James Bond?” his wife said suspiciously.  “I’ll be Britt Ekland to your Roger Moore, is that it?”

Jim went bright red.

Ruby sighed, rolling her eyes.  “Suit up, double-oh-seven,” she said, shaking her head.  “I never could say no to you.”  But her smile was bright.

**********

The gaming “deck” was really a small, drab chamber tucked behind the _Ange’s_ bowling alley.  It was less of a casino and more of an emptied storage room with cheap carpet and off-white walls.  A few portable roulette tables, two blackjack stations, and a round poker desk were scattered about the floor.  There wasn’t even a bar or music on the speakers.

The handful of grumpy-looking men, all dressed down in faded shirts and slacks, glanced up at the two Americans.  They snickered at Jim’s tuxedo and Ruby’s sparkling evening dress.

“Oh…” Jim said, his excited smile fading.

On his arm, Ruby patted Jim’s hand.  “Come along, Mr. Bond,” she teased in a fake English accent.  “We’re here, might as well make an evening of it.”

Feeling foolish, Jim allowed Ruby to lead him about the room, finally coming to the poker table.  Here, four men were locked in a competitive game, all studying one another carefully.  A sizeable pile of plastic chips was building in the center of the table.

“Maybe they can deal me in at the next hand?” Jim said hopefully.

But the players completely ignored the Gersons, even after Jim made of show of asking where he could buy chips.

“Sorry, baby,” cooed Ruby, patting her husband’s forearm sympathetically.  “Maybe next cruise?”

“They’re not playing poker,” Jim realized.  “What is that…?  Is it…?”

“It is Pagaté,” a French-accented voice remarked.

Jim and Ruby whirled about; they’d not heard the stranger approach.  Standing behind the two Americans was a tall and thin fellow, perhaps early thirties.  His lean face was sun-worn, but attractive.  Two sparkling blue eyes smiled from above one of the thinnest noses Jim had ever seen.  The man had greased-back black hair and a tiny moustache, which made his lip seem to smirk even when he wasn’t smiling.

The fellow wore a plain black suit, unassuming, but coordinated nonetheless.  His salmon-color cravat and odd cufflinks immediately identified him as very European.  He smoked a thin, brown cigarette, which he grasped gently between the boniest of fingers.

“Pagaté,” repeated the stranger.  “Not Poker.  Four players only, they continue until one player is eliminated.  It is a game of shifting alliances.”

“Huh,” Jim said.  “Never heard of it.”

The Frenchman shrugged.  “Many despise the game.  In Pagaté, players pretend to be your ally… but are always working to screw you.  Such is life, eh?”

“That’s dark,” Ruby commented.

“I am Edmond, Edmond Burnel,” the man said, extending a firm hand.  “You two, you are Americans, yes?  Welcome aboard.”

“Thank you,” Ruby replied, obviously flattered.

“Welcome aboard?” Jim echoed, wincing as Edmond’s handshake nearly crushed his fingers.  “Do you work on the ship?”

“In a manner of speaking,” replied the Frenchman in a breezy tone.  He was casting an appreciative eye over Ruby’s figure.  “Tonight, however, I am free.  I thought a card game might entertain me… but instead I found you two.  Serendipity, eh?”

“Sure,” agreed Jim.  He wasn’t sure he liked this fellow.

“Come,” Edmond said, jerking his head.  “Let me show you where better times can be had.”

**********

The tall Frenchman led Jim and Ruby across D-deck, then all the way up the Grand Staircase.  They arrived at the entrance of the Crystal Pavilion Restaurant, which was already thronged with fellow passengers.

“Oh,” Ruby said, looking embarrassed, “Edmond, Jim and I don’t have reservations until-“

“Tut-tut,” clucked Edmond, waving a dismissive hand.  “Not to worry, eh?  Follow me.”

He brushed past the crowd, then spoke with the maître’ d in rapid-fire French.  The maître’ d nodded quickly, and Edmond gestured to Jim and Ruby with two quick fingers.

And then the two Americans were led into the main dining room, which was opulent, indeed.  All tables were arranged in white tablecloths, gleaming with sterling silverware and crystal goblets.  Black-suited waiters drifted among the lucky dining passengers, pampering them with warm bread, soup, wine, and mouth-watering dishes that looked exquisite.  A string quartet played softly from the sunken center of the chamber.  Jim and Ruby were impressed.

But Edmond barely glanced about.  Moving swiftly, the Frenchman led his guests around the edge of the vast room, arriving at the Pavilion’s bar.  The bar itself was made from polished mahogany with brass trimmings, and was tucked behind Greek columns, as if the occupants were to be hidden away.  Here it was darker and secluded, intimate.  Only two middle-aged women were customers here, laughing gaily over champagne.

The Frenchmen claimed the three seats on the far end, already gesturing for a white-suited bartender.  Ruby slipped an excited glance at her husband, then sat down gingerly.

“Well now,” pronounced Edmond, “this is much better.”

Jim quickly claimed the seat between Ruby and their host.  At the same time, the bartender appeared, serving three glasses of yellow Chartreuse.  Jim reached for his wallet, but Edmond waved him away.

“Please _,_ ” the Frenchman said, acting almost insulted.

Jim managed a strained yet thankful smile.  The more he saw of Edmond, the less he liked the tall fellow.  But Ruby seemed charmed.

“You, uh, you said you worked on the ship?” Jim asked, trying his drink.  It was subtle, yet sweet.

“ _Oui,_ ” Edmond responded crisply.  “But tell me about you, my friends.  It is rare we see Americans on our ship.”

Before Jim could stop her, Ruby was spilling their joint biography.

“Amazing!” exclaimed Edmond, and he did seem impressed.  “You two have only been together four months?”

“Yeah,” Ruby gushed.  “We’re Impulsive and Crazy.  That’s us.”

Edmond didn’t hear the joke, but seemed to take an even greater interest in Ruby.

“What do you do on the ship?” Jim said, a little more firmly this time.

“Oh, I did not say?” the oily Frenchman feigned innocence.  “I am the… ah, how do you say in English…  The magician.  The illusionist.  This is the one night of the week when I do not perform.”

“The magician?” Ruby exclaimed, clutching Jim’s arm.  “Oh my word!  We were thinking about maybe seeing your show!”

Edmond made a hurt expression, possibly mocking her.  “ ** _Maybe?_** ” he recoiled.

“I mean,” interjected Ruby quickly, “we thought your show is in French… isn’t it?”

“Mondays and Wednesdays, it is in English,” Edmond sniffed.  “All other nights in French.  The ship people, they did not explain this?”

“No,” said Ruby.

Edmond scowled.  “The ship people, they are… how do you say… so incompetent.  Now I will have to complain to the program director again.”

“What sort of tricks do you do?” Ruby asked eagerly, leaning forward slightly.  Jim put a cautious hand on her knee.

“Oh, all sorts,” bragged the Frenchman.  “Slight-of-hand, illusion, mirror tricks, audience participation, mysticism, mental tricks.  I am quite skilled.”

“C’mon,” Ruby said, her eyes shining, “you have to show us something!”

Edmond smiled slyly.  “But I have none of my props, _mon chère_.”

“Oh, **_c’mon_** …” pleaded Ruby.  “There’s gotta be something you can show us.  Right?”

Their host sipped his drink, then set down his glass.

“Very well,” he said amiably, and moved around Jim to stand before Ruby.  Jim tensed, just slightly.

“Look at me, please,” Edmond told Ruby.  “Are you right- or left-handed?”

“Right.”

“Give me your left hand, _s'il vous plaît,_ ” said the magician immediately.

Ruby obeyed, and Edmond clasped her small between both of his.

“Excellent,” he said.  “Look only at me please.”

With small, deliberate movement, the Frenchman began tracing a circle on the back of Ruby’s hand, taking care not to press onto her skin.

“Very good,” Edmond murmured, smiling slightly.  “Look only at me.  You feel the energy of my fingers, yes?  You are doing perfectly.”

Jim glanced down at Ruby’s hand, suppressing a frown.  “What kind of magic trick is this?”

“Shh,” hushed Edmond.  “Look only at me, Ruby.  Only at me.  Pick one eye, stare into it, yes?  Very good.”

Ruby grinned.  “Your fingers feel weird-“

“Shh,” Edmond repeated gently.  “Just listen, yes?  This trick will amaze you, I think.  Now, gaze into one eye, and notice how it is now easy to concentrate on your hand.  Just your hand.  You look into my eye, you listen to my words, your thoughts are only of you hand.  So easy.”

Jim glanced between Edmond and Ruby’s faces.  Both were intently staring at the other.

“Yes, very good,” Edmond’s voice purred.  “Very good.  As you focus, as you concentrate, your hand becomes the center of your thoughts.  Let it.  Let your hand right now become the center of your thoughts.  I will guide you there.  Focus on me, think of your hand.”

The Frenchman’s sentences were almost running together now.  As he droned on, the string quartet and the soft babbling of the passengers seems to fade, as if somehow muffled by magic.

“Wonderful, Ruby,” complimented Edmond.

Jim stole another glance at his wife.  Her expression was blank, her eyes locked straight ahead on the Frenchman.  Her body was completely still.

“Now, see how well you have concentrated,” Edmond said.  “As you concentrate even more, your other hand begins to feel lighter and lighter.  Perhaps you are unaware, but as you focus on your **_left_** hand, your **_right_** hand is almost weightless, yes.  Like balloons are tied to your wrist.  Soon, Ruby, that hand will float up into the air.  Yes, so light, so carefree.”

Ruby didn’t respond.  She remained perfectly still, her right hand flopped lifelessly in her lap.

But Edmond spoke on, his accent taking on a velvet-like quality.  Jim found himself blinking slowly, and his mind wandered slightly.

And then… as if pulled by an invisible string, Ruby’s right hand began floating off her lap.

At first, the motion was barely discernable.  Jim actually thought she was just shifting her hand slightly.  But her arm and wrist rose up, slowly, so slowly.

“Yes,” Edmond smiled, still staring at Ruby and stoking her other hand.  “Lighter and lighter, Ruby.  Feel your own body relax and your right hand grows so much lighter and lighter.”

Ruby seemed entirely unaware as her hand drifted up right past her head.  Soon her arm was extended high in the air.  Her expression remained neutral and riveted on Edmond’s gaze.

“Wonderful, Ruby,” complimented Edmond.  “Now you focus and relax so much more.  In a moment, I will snap my fingers.  When I do, you will be able to speak again.  Your hand will remain weightless, as if separate from your body.  You will also find that **_you cannot remember your first name._**   It is momentarily gone from your mind.  Ready?  Very good.”

Edmond placed Ruby’s captured left hand into her lap, then snapped his fingers, once.  The click was loud.

Jim’s wife blinked, as if coming out of a stupor.

“Very good,” beamed the Frenchman.  “How do you feel?”

“Great,” Ruby said honestly, rubbing one cheek with her left hand.  She seemed slightly distracted.

Jim cast a suspicious glance upward.  Ruby’s right arm was still raised high in the air; she seemed completely unaware of its odd position.

“You okay?” he couldn’t help ask.

“Sure, Jim,” Ruby smiled.  “Wow, that was… weird.”  She blinked a few more times.  “But I liked it.”

“You did wonderfully,” Edmond assured her.  “Now… forgive me… what was your name, again?”

“I’m-“ Ruby began, only to hesitate.  A puzzled look crossed her face.

“Yes?”

“I’m-“ she tried again.  “Uh…”

“Your name is Ruby,” Edmond told her.

“Oh, right!” Jim’s wife was relieved.  “I don’t know why-“

“What is your name, again?” interrupted the magician.

Ruby’s eyes went wide with bewilderment.  “I… I don’t know,” she confessed sheepishly.  “My word, that’s strange!”

“Not at all,” Edmond assured her.  “Now, **_SLEEP!_** ”

He snapped his fingers again, directly before Ruby’s face.  Instantly, the young woman’s face went blank and her eyes closed.  Her head slumped forward.  But her right arm was still suspended in the air.

“What did you do to her?” Jim asked, a little alarmed.

Edmond gave him a knowing look.

“Ruby is now hypnotized,” he said plainly.

*********


	3. Suddenly I Was the Star of the Show

“As a hypnotic subject, she is **_exceptional_** ,” Edmond complimented, inspecting the motionless Ruby.

Jim felt his stomach churn.  “Bring her out of it,” he demanded.

Immediately the magician turned, smiling and placing a reassuring hand on Jim’s shoulder.

“She is quite all right,” assured Edmond.  “See?  Peaceful, relaxed…  Enjoying this wonderful sleeping feeling I have given her.  She will awaken and tell us she loved the experience.”

“Wake her up,” repeated Jim, not liking this situation at all.

Edmond gave him a pitying look.  “Ruby, on the count of three, you will awaken, refreshed and feeling wonderful!  Understand?  One, two, **_three!_** ”  He snapped his fingers again.

Immediately Ruby sat up, her expression coming back to life.  She grinned in sheer wonder, her cheeks shining.  But Jim was also perturbed to see her right hand remained high in the air.

“Oh my word!” Ruby exclaimed.  “That was… wow!”

“Being hypnotized is an amazing experience, no?” Edmond nodded.  He dipped into his jacket breast pocket, taking out his cigarettes.

“You’re okay?” Jim asked Ruby worriedly.

“Oh Jim,” said Ruby, rolling her eyes.  “I’m **_fine_**.  I’m better than fine, actually.  I feel like…”

“Like you had eight hours of sleep,” supplied Edmond.  He lit a cigarette.

“Yeah!” Ruby agreed.  “Completely rested.  But I could hear you guys the whole time.  I wasn’t asleep.”

“Okay,” her husband said nervously.  “So lower your hand.”

Ruby paused, then looked up.  “I can’t,” she admitted.  “Or… no…  I just don’t want to, Jim.  Or my hand doesn’t want to.  It’s too weird to explain.”

The French magician nodded.  “But hypnosis is nothing to fear, no?”

Ruby shook her head.

“Very good,” Edmond smiled, sliding an ashtray close by.  “Would you like to experience more?”

 _No,_ thought Jim.

“Sure!” Ruby said eagerly.

“ ** _SLEEP!_** ” commanded the hypnotist, waving a hand before her eyes.  Ruby instantly slumped back down, seemingly asleep.  Yet her right arm remained in the air.

“And now, _mon chère_ , you will discover that when you try to speak, you can only sing radio songs, yes?” Edmond told the entranced Ruby.  “You no longer speak; you can only sing.  Now: one, two, three, **_wide awake!_** ”  Again he snapped his fingers.

Ruby sat up, blinking.

“And now do you feel?” the Frenchman said grandly.

A funny look crossed the young woman’s face.  “ _So goodbye yellow brick road,_ ” she sang in a thin voice.  But she also bopped and snapped her fingers, really getting into the music.  “ _Where the dogs of society howl / You can't plant me in your penthouse / I'm going back to my plough…  Yeah!!!_ ”

**********

For the next forty minutes, Edmond put Ruby in and out of hypnosis, each time putting crazier and sillier commands into her mind.  Ruby carried out every his every whim, usually unaware of what she was doing.

As the entertainment wore on, hypnotist and subject attracted a little crowd, who swarmed into the bar and laughed politely whenever Ruby responded to her hypnotic programming.  Even the wait staff and bartenders craned their necks to see what might happen next.

Throughout it all, Jim fumed.  Ruby, his beloved Ruby, seemed to be under a spell and Edmond’s willing puppet.  She carried out his every desire with gusto, and Jim couldn’t tell if his beloved was unable to resist the hypnotist’s commands, or she simply had no idea what she was doing.  But he didn’t like it.

He also didn’t like how Edmond eyed Ruby’s body whenever her back was turned.  When she became a hula dancer, the hypnotist’s gaze clearly dropped down to Ruby’s swiveling tush.

Finally, when Ruby was hypnotized to believe she was a member of the wait staff, and making a fool of herself in front of passengers who weren’t into the joke, Jim had had enough.

“Bring her out,” he growled to Edmond.  “For good.”

The hypnotist sighed fondly, but agreed.  Two minutes later, Ruby was released from his magic, for good.

“What?” she said, looking about her in bewilderment.  “Did the hypnosis work on me?”

She didn’t remember a thing.

**********

On the stroll back to their cabin, Jim kept sliding worried looks at his wife.

“Oh, will you stop it,” she finally laughed, patting his arm.  “I’m **_fine_** , Jim.  I wish you’d believe me!”

They’d remained at the bar for another hour, chatting with other passengers and having a few drinks.  After a lot of prodding, Ruby slowly recalled everything she’d done while under Edmond’s influence.

“It is as I said,” the magician had remarked.  “She is a remarkable subject.”

But Jim wasn’t feeling so comfortable.  “You sure you’re… you know… out of it?” he asked Ruby, as they stepped into their cabin.

“I’m out of it,” Ruby said firmly.

Finally alone with her, Jim had concerned questions.  “So… how did it feel, being hypnotized?” he fumbled.

“Really weird,” Ruby said, wearing a goofy smile.  “But I liked it.”

“You **_liked_** it?” Jim echoed, stunned.

“Yeah,” said Ruby, unzipping her dress.  “At first, I knew what he was making me do, but I couldn’t stop myself from doing it.  But I liked following his… what are they called, again?  His suggestions.”

Jim shook his head.  He couldn’t imagine it:  Being in a relaxed state, and then a voice coming into your mind, overriding your own will?  It sounded horrible to him.

“The funny thing is,” Ruby commented, shimmying out of her skirt, “after a while, I felt like I was just dreaming and he was controlling me.  I don’t remember much after that.”

“That Edmond guy,” Jim said dangerously, “he’s got the hots for you.”

Ruby, who had been reaching for her earrings, turned to regard her husband with a look of amusement.

“Jim Gerson,” she declared.  “You’re **_jealous?_** ”

“No,” Jim said, a little too quickly.

His wife smiled brightly, and moved to wrap her bare arms around his neck.  “Hey there, Crazy,” she said softly, “you’ll always have me.  Got that?”

And she pressed against him.  Jim melted a little as they kissed.

**********

The next morning, there was an announcement over the ship’s PA system, first in French, and then in English:  “ _Ladies and Gentlemen, please be advised of an error in our Entertainment programme.  Tonight’s Magic and Mystery show will be performed in English.  Come see our master magician for a show like no other!  Tonight in the Starlight Theatre, B-Deck._ ”

“You know,” Ruby said, studying her makeup in the bathroom mirror, “that’s Edmond’s show.  We should go, right?”

Jim frowned as he pulled on his socks.  _Edmond?_ he thought tartly.  _We’re on a first-name basis with that creep now?_

“Its probably sold out,” he said, trying to sound casual.

“There’s nothing else to do on this ship, not until we dock tomorrow,” grumbled Ruby.  “I say we try and get tickets.”

“Where are we docking, again?” asked Jim, trying to change the subject.

Ruby rolled her eyes.  “Baby, you really should learn the ship’s itinerary.”

**********

The Starlite was actually a dinner theatre, with small, intimate tables placed before a small but elevated stage.  Ruby and Jim were placed at Table 17, which, to Jim’s horror, was right up front.

After ordering wine, the Gersons settled in, watching the rest of the audience take their seats.

Jim was uneasy.  Having seen Edmond work his magic up close, he wished there was something else – anything else – that he and Ruby could be doing.

“Hey,” Ruby nudged him, with a teasing smile.  “Why so grumpy?  This’ll be fun.”

“I’m **_not_** grumpy,” snapped Jim.  “I just don’t see why we have to see this stupid show.”

“Or do what?” Ruby retorted.  “Sit in the cabin?  No thanks.”

Feeling patronized, Jim glared at her.  “Next time, I’ll pick the activity, okay?” he grumbled, more harshly than he intended.

Ruby’s smile faded.  She leaned away from her husband.

And then, the lights dimmed.

“ _Madame et Messieurs, Ladies and Gentlemen,_ ” a surly female voice said over the PA, “ _Welcome to the Starlight Theatre.”_   Suspenseful music began to play.  _”And now, Luxury Star Cruise Lines proudly presents the conjurer of the cruise, the sorcerer of the seas, direct from Paris and the Netherworld beyond… **Edmond the Magician!**_ ”

With a flash of lighting, Edmond burst onto the stage, bowing and preening to the unimpressed applause.  The tall Frenchman wore a perfectly black tuxedo, his puffy cravat replaced by a tiny black bow tie.  His hair was even more slicked back than before.  Jim thought the man looked ridiculous.

“ _Merci_ , _merci_ , thank you,” beamed Edmond, milking the scant applause for all it was worth.  “Ladies and gentleman, welcome to tonight’s Magic and Mystery show, the only show in the Universe (and Beyond) where we explore what might be, yes?”

He waved his hand in a flamboyant gesture.  A rubber boutique of flowers popped out of one sleeve, almost fast enough seem magical.

Edmond launched into his opening monologue, a string of groaner jokes punctuated with trick props that were folded into his tuxedo.  Jim watched with a critical eye.  While the magician had stage presence, his material simply wasn’t very good.  Perhaps the French-speaking audiences liked this Jerry Lewis stuff.

Jim folded his arms, wondering if he might be able to sneak back to the cabin.

“…and after that, who knows what magic we will discover!” Edmond finished, dramatically throwing a handful of glitter into the air.  The black curtain behind him rose, revealing a small backdrop with set pieces and props arranged neatly.  Jim recognized the “saw a person in half” box, resting on its wheeled stand.

The lights dimmed.  “But now, ladies and gentlemen,” Edmond said darkly, “we must delve into the unknown.  To help me and to demonstrate my powers, I shall need a member of this audience.  Who shall be by assistant, eh?  Who?”

Jim frowned, sneaking a glance at his watch.

“Yes, thank you, _Madame_ ,” exclaimed the magician.  “Please come up here!”

And then as Jim’s heart leapt, Ruby rose from her seat, walking up the small staircase to join Edmond on the stage.  She looked once back at the audience, smiling nervously.

The magician swarmed to Ruby like a fly to honey.  “Excellent, _Madame_ ,” he crooned.  “Tell me, what is your name?”

Ruby’s voice was small and wavered.  “Ruby Gerson.”

“Thank you, Ruby,” Edmond leered.  “Tell me, have you ever been in show business?”

“Oh no,” Ruby blushed.

“Tonight,” the magician declared, “you shall be transformed into a star!  Look into my eyes, please.”

Ruby, standing perfectly still with her arms at her sides, looked up at Edmond’s face, her expression already slack.  Jim saw her beautiful eyes glaze over, and realized that his wife was being hypnotized again.  A feeling of dread sunk into the young businessman.

Edmond waggled his fingers, as if casting a spell.  “When I snap my fingers, Ruby,” he said to his dazzled volunteer, “you will fall into a deep, deep sleep.  Now… **_SLEEP!_** ”  His fingers clicked.

Ruby’s eyes shut and her shoulders drooped.  She was once again surrendering to the Frenchman’s influence.

The audience murmured, confused but impressed.

“As you can see, ladies and gentlemen,” Edmond said grandly, “my considerable powers allow me to affect the physical and the mind.  Now we will transform this beautiful young lady into my assistant for the evening, yes?”

To Ruby, he bade: “And now, Ruby, you will awaken, fully convinced that you are my stage assistant for the night!  You will be outgoing, confident, and exciting.  One, two, three, four, five!  Awake **_NOW!_** ”  Once again, he snapped.

Ruby opened her eyes, and immediately her back straightened.  “Ladies and gentleman,” she crowed in a loud stage voice, “Edmond the Magician!”  With a grand gesture using both arms, she indicated the hypnotist.

The crowd applauded, genuinely entertained.

Jim watched in dismay and Ruby spun on her heels, confidently strutting to the corner of the stage.  She held her head high and her smile was dazzling.  He’d never seen her so confident.

“Now, ladies and gentlemen,” Edmond announced grandly, “the show **_begins!_** ”

**********

The magician launched into his collection of magic props and set pieces.  Sometimes he directed Ruby to assist him, as when she became his posing dummy before the large target when he threw knives across the stage.  At another point, Edmond put her back into a trance, levitated her off the stage, and passed a hula hoop along her body to show there were no wires.  Ruby obeyed all his instructions without flinching.  She was always smiling and proud.

At the thirty minute mark, Edmond positioned Ruby inside a tall red crate.  With a sudden flourish of a cape, Ruby seemed to disappear completely.  She emerged two minutes later from a different crate, now wearing a slinky red cocktail dress that showed off her legs and chest.  The audience was delighted.

But Jim sat in the audience and fumed.  He knew nothing about hypnotism, but now it seemed fairly certain that Edmond had not randomly approached him and his wife the night before.  That little red dress was just Ruby’s size.  That meant Edmond had spotted her, and decided to hypnotize her prior to the show, priming her to step onto the stage.  It was all a slimy con job.

**********

“And now, ladies and gentlemen,” Edmond announced, “we begin the most amazing part of our evening.  I shall need more volunteers, yes?  Who shall come up?”

No-one from the audience budged.

“Tut-tut, ladies and gentlemen,” the magician clucked.  “There is nothing to be afraid of!  I will prove it!”

Putting on a black cape with a dramatic flair, Edmond cried, “Ruby, my dear!  Will you find a volunteer?”

Smiling broadly, Ruby descended from the stage.  She moved straight to Jim, reaching for his arm.

The young businessman felt a twinge of panic.  Ruby seemed a complete stranger now, looking at her husband as if she’d never seen him before.  He wanted to grab her, to shake her hard, to yank her out of here and escape.

“Come along, sir,” Ruby cooed, gently but firmly pulling Jim out of his seat.  A spotlight fell on Jim, and the rest of the audience, relieved they weren’t selected, burst into applause.

Jim swallowed.  Feeling overwhelmed, he didn’t protest as Ruby guided him up onto the stage.

It was surprisingly bright on the elevated platform.  Jim was aware of the lights shining on him, and all those invisible eyes in the audience, all studying him closely.  The young man coughed, nervous and fidgeting.

“Ah, sir!” Edmond said grandly, as if he’d never seen Jim before.  “And what is your name?”

Jim should have bellowed, _I’m James Charles Gerson, and you leave my wife alone, shithead!_

Instead, he heard himself meekly replying, “Uh… Jim.”

“Uhjim,” smiled Edmond with a twinkle in his eye.  “Tell me, have you ever been hypnotized?”

 _Oh no,_ Jim thought in complete dread.

“Look into my eyes, please,” the magician instructed, already glaring at Jim intensely.

Jim couldn’t look away.  His feet felt rooted to the spot and somehow his legs, arms, and voice didn’t work anymore.  As the Frenchman crept toward him, he felt a flicker of doubt:  _Maybe Edmond does have magical powers…?_

“ ** _SLEEP!_** ” commanded Edmond, snapping his fingers before Jim’s face.

Instantly, Jim’s world went black as his eyes shut.  He felt a wave of purifying relaxation wash over his entire body within a heartbeat, as if his head, limbs, and torso had simply dissolved into the air.  The excited babbling of the audience sounded clear, yet far, far away.

“Very good, Jim,” the voice of Edmond said, floating through the younger man’s thoughts.  “From this point on, whenever you are in this relaxed state, you will want to follow and obey my every suggestion.  Nod your head once if you understand.”

 _Am I… hypnotized?_ Jim thought, confused.

“Very good, Jim,” said Edmond, sounding pleased.  Had Jim nodded his head?  He wasn’t sure.  “Now, Jim, you go deeper, so much deeper…”

The magician continued speaking.  Jim lost track of the words and fell into sweet blackness…

**********

The next few moments were strange indeed for poor Jim.  Sometimes he was awake and aware, yet not in control of his body or thoughts.  Under Edmond’s control, he happily climbed into the “saw in half” box, and allowed the magician to do something at his abdomen.  The audience clapped merrily as he lazily stared up at the ceiling, blissfully unconcerned about anything.

At another point, Jim found himself sitting in a chair and stretching his arm straight forward.  As Edmond passed a lit match beneath his fingers, he was impressed to realize that he felt no pain.

And then Ruby was sent out into the audience to collect more volunteers.  The three new recruits were so dazzled by Edmond’s mastery over Jim and Ruby that they tumbled into hypnosis without resistance or hesitation.  As Edmond’s puppets, they began acting like clowns, like first-graders, and then like trained seals.

Later, while the other hypnotized people were conga dancing and the audience merrily clapped along, Jim suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder.

“Now Jim,” Edmond murmured into his ear, “you will listen carefully.  Tomorrow, you will…”

And then the hypnotist filled Jim’s mind with suggestions.

“And now, you forget,” whispered Edmond, touching Jim’s forehead ever so lightly.  “Remember nothing, and relax even deeper…”

**********

And then…

Suddenly Jim’s eyes fluttered open.  He was now standing on the edge of the stage, facing the applauding audience.  He was holding hands with Ruby to his left, and a middle-aged bald man to his right.  The others were blinking their eyes and squinting in the bright stage lights.

“Take a bow, my wonderful subjects!” cried Edmond, standing somewhere behind Jim.

Before he knew what he was doing, Jim bent at the hips, indeed, taking a bow to the audience.  Ruby, the bald man, and two other people down the line all did the same.  The audience clapped merrily.

“That is my show!” shouted Edmond.  “Good night, everyone!”

Jim blinked a few times, the cobwebs in his head clearing.  Now he remembered…  He’d been in a trance, sleepwalking through Edmond’s show without a care in the world.  Fragments of his time on stage bubbled up in his memory… although he had a funny feeling there was much more that he couldn’t recall.

The young man turned to Ruby, who was blushing and grinning.  She was remembering her wild antics in the show, too.  “Oh my word,” she said, embarrassed, and pressed one hand to her mouth.

**********

As befitting a magician, Edmond had vanished.  A member of the _Ange_ ’s entertainment staff appeared, ushering audience and volunteers alike out.  This woman was kind enough to point Ruby to a little changing room, where her original dress was waiting for her.

Ten minutes later, Jim and his wife were in their coats, strolling along the deck and huddling together against the cold sea breeze.  Jim’s mind was whirling.

“ ** _Now_** you see what I mean about being hypnotized?” Ruby prodded him.  “Its wild, right?”

“I… yeah,” mumbled poor Jim.  While he didn’t feel embarrassed, it did bother him that he had lost so much control.

“I loved it,” Ruby admitted.  “Edmond, he waved his hand, and suddenly I was the star of the show!  Did I ever tell you I wanted to be in show business when I was little?  Tonight was the next best thing.”

There was a lull as the couple strolled past the crew, folding up deck chairs.

“I don’t think I’ll want to get hypnotized again, though,” Ruby suddenly said.

Jim looked at her, surprised.

“Twice was enough,” his wife remarked.

An odd sense of relief washed over Jim.  “Come on,” he said, smiling and squeezing Ruby’s hand a little.  “Let’s get below.”

Ruby smiled, and Jim admired how her eyes seemed to light up.  “You want to get me alone, Mr. Gerson?” she teased.

“Tomorrow’s a big day,” Jim half-protested.  “After all, we’re docking in… Madrid?”

“Barcelona, silly.  Madrid’s not on the coast.  You’re here to evaluate this cruise, and you **_still_** haven’t learned where the ship goes?”

“I don’t need to remember,” boasted Jim.  “My wonderful wife remembers that important stuff for me.”

It was a terrible joke, but Ruby broke out into a wide smile all the same.  She snuggled closer to her husband.

For a moment, Ruby nearly dipped her hand into her coat pocket, the same pocket where Jim had hidden her gift locket.  The young man watched intently, half-debating if he wanted to guide her hand.

 _No,_ he told himself.  _Let fate pick the moment._   It was more romantic that way.  Ruby would find the locket at the perfect time.

“You remember where our cabin is?” Jim said instead.

“Well, you better hope so, Mr. Memory,” replied Ruby, in a mock-serious tone.  “Or else you’re sleeping under the stars.”

Jim loved it when Ruby teased him.  The two lovers tickled one another, suddenly in a great hurry to get below.

And then, they had incredible sex that night.

**********


	4. For you, Mon Chère

“C’mon, sleepyhead,” Jim heard a distant voice calling him.

Through some effort, the young man roused himself out of his dream.  He felt positively tranquilized.

“C’mon!” Ruby said again, shaking him.  “The ship’s docked!”

Jim forced his eyes open.  Bright sunlight poured through the cabin porthole, almost blinding him.  Odd, he usually rose before sunup.  Perhaps the time zone difference was affecting him more than he realized?

**********

The _Ange des Mers_ was squeezed into the Port de Barcelona, Pier 4.  By the time Jim and Ruby had finished breakfast, there was a long queue of fellow passengers disembarking.  Ruby grabbed a brochure for everything, even though most were printed in Spanish.

“Remember,” the _Ange_ tourist advisors said over and over, “you must be back at the ship no later than nine PM!”

Luxury Star Cruise Lines provided shuttle busses, and soon the _Ange_ passengers were ferried along narrow and crowded streets, gaping at the architecture that passed by.  Barcelona seemed a mixture of modest but clean townhouses packed together, and then yawning boulevards flanked by grandiose manors.

“My word,” Ruby muttered, impressed.  “Jim, you realize most of these buildings are older than **_America itself_**?”

They were first shuttled to the _Sagrada Familia_ , a magnificent cathedral of spires and ornate gargoyles which sagely overlooked the city.  Jim immediately regretted buying only one roll of film.  After gaping at the grand church, a tour guide walked the _Ange_ tourists through the old city, pausing for lunch at a reserved restaurant, and then arriving at _La Rambla_ , a fairy tale neighborhood and park with markets, street performers, and friendly locals.  Ruby had never smiled so much.

 _La Rambla_ was the type of place begging to be explored.  Jim and Ruby found themselves wandering into quaint little shops, sampling food from the street vendors, and doing their best to read the street signs.  It seemed there was always another inviting sidestreet down which to wander.

At one point, when the sunlight was soft and warm, Jim found himself marveling at Ruby’s beauty.  Barcelona seemed to bring out the best in her.  He wanted to hold her hand and never let go.

**********

The two newlyweds elected to have dinner in a tiny bistro, which kept them away from their fellow tourists.  While Jim was counting out the pesetas, (and doing a hopeless job of converting them to dollars in his head) Ruby suddenly grew fidgety.  “Land sake’s Jim,” she exclaimed.  “Its almost eight o’clock.”

“…so?” Jim said, still doing math.

“We’ve gotta be back at the ship by nine,” reminded Ruby.  “C’mon, lets go.”

As they reached the street, they could see three _Ange_ shuttle busses idling down by the Plaza.  “See?” Jim remarked.  “We’re okay on time.”

A sudden, strange feeling washed over the young man.  “You know,” he said slowly, “I still don’t have a souvenir for Mom.  She loves olives… didn’t we see a delectable store back that way?”

Ruby looked exasperated.  “You’re only thinking of this now?  Jim, I’m getting a bit of a headache.”

“I have to get Mom olives from Barcelona,” asserted Jim.  “Look, you go back to the ship, I’ll grab the last shuttle.”

Ruby pouted.

“You go on,” Jim insisted, already heading back toward the shops.  “I’ll pick up something for your Dad, too.”

**********

The shop was right where Jim remembered it to be.  The owners were lighting candles in the windows, creating a charming, cozy atmosphere.  Jim inhaled the faint lavender fragrance, his eyes already sweeping over the overcrowded shelves.

Using broken Spanish, he selected two jars of _Aceitunas de Lujo_ , which were almost certainly too expensive.  Satisfied, the young man returned to the street.  The sun was setting quickly.

And then, Jim stopped.  His thoughts fogged over.  Without knowing what he was doing, or why, he turned, walking in the opposite direction of the Plaza.  Absently, he handed over his olives to a homeless beggar.  And then, Jim handed over his wallet, too.

He walked on.  His feet felt heavy and his eyes started blinking slowly.  When he reached a small, empty alley, Jim paused, walked to the end, and then stopped, unable to resist these strange compulsions.

He felt so sleepy.  Without a concern in the world, Jim lay down and tumbled into a deep, dreamless sleep.

**********

Ruby paused by the _Ange_ ’s common store on D-Deck, looking for aspirin.  Oddly, her headache was lifting, but she bought a small bottle anyway.  In another five minutes, she was back in the cabin.

She tried diving back into her pocket novel, but a worried feeling nagged at her.  Why, oh why did Jim wait until the last minute to buy olives?  The more she thought about it, the more Ruby regretted letting her foolish husband run off.  Now the fool was risking missing the ship, and-

There was a knock at the door.

Her heart leaping, Ruby sprang up.  Of course!  Jim had misplaced his cabin key!  Probably at the bistro.  Already think of how she could tease him, the young woman yanked open the door.

But standing in the corridor was Edmond Burnel, dressed in another trademark black suit.  The Frenchman smiled confidently, sliding one hand into his pocket.

Taken aback, Ruby hesitated.  “Edmond,” she said, uncertain.  “Are you looking for someone…?”

“For you, _mon chère_ ,” Edmond said grandly.  Before Ruby could react, he stretched two fingers forward, touching her forehead.  “Invite me in, please.”

Ruby suddenly couldn’t think.  She meekly stepped backward, allowing the magician to enter and shut the cabin door.

“Now,” he said, his voice becoming deep and rich, “Let us talk, no?”

He loomed over Ruby.  “Look into my eyes…”

**********

A sharp pain in his side jolted Jim awake.  He reflectively kicked with both legs, and flailed with his arms.

“ _¡Levántate, culo!_ ” a harsh voice said above him.

Jim squinted upward.  Where was he?

His back and head ached.  Jim rolled over, realizing he was lying on… concrete.  A horrible, dry taste was in his mouth.  His body was stiff and cold.

“ _¿Me has oído?_ ” the voice demanded.  There was another blow, to his ribs.  “ _¡Levántate!_ ”

Scrambling to his feet, Jim realized he was being accosted by two Barcelona police officers, their dark blue uniforms bearing down on him.  Neither of the large men looked amused.

The young man reeled.  What was going on?  The last thing he remembered…

The last thing he could remember was finishing dinner with Ruby.  Ruby!  Where was she?!?

“ _Giro de vuelta,_ ” snarled the closer officer, and grabbed Jim’s forearm.

“Wait, wait,” Jim sputtered, his Spanish abandoning him.  “I’m… I’m American!  A tourist!  Wait!”

The officers ignored his pleas.  Jim was handcuffed, then stuffed into the back of their tiny police cruiser.

**********

The next two days were hellish for poor Jim.  Somehow, his wallet was gone, and he carried no proof of his identity.  The local police were evidently sensitive to any suggestion of homelessness or disorderly conduct near _La Rambla_ , and it was quite some time before Jim could get in touch with the American Consulate.

When his identity was finally confirmed, a weary-looking Barcelona desk officer signed Jim over to Glenn Harwood, a tanned fellow from the consulate.  “You look like you’ve had quite a time,” Harwood observed.

Jim hadn’t bathed and certainly hadn’t eaten well.  Two days in a Spanish jail had not helped him relax, either.  His throat was dry and was sore.

“My cruise ship,” he croaked.  “I have to reach my ship.”

“You said your ship was the… _Ange des Mers_?” Harwood said, looking over the paperwork.  “I’m sorry, Mr. Gerson, I don’t have any information about it.  Don’t you know its itinerary?”

Jim closed his eyes in despair.

**********

Harwood took pity on Jim.  Although the consulate officer certainly had better things to do, he helped Jim locate the local office for Luxury Star Cruise Lines.  And because the office was Spanish-speaking only, Harwood even volunteered to remain as translator.

After quite a bit of back-and-forth with the Luxury Star people, Harwood was able to tell Jim, “The _Ange_ has already left Naples.  In three days, she’ll be docked in the Port of Piraeus; that’s your first opportunity to catch her.”

Jim felt despair.  Ruby must be worried sick for him.

“There’s no way to get me on the _Ange_ **_now?_** ” he had to ask.

The answer was a firm no.

“Can I at least get a message to the ship?”

A shore-to-ship radiogram was arranged, although Jim nearly balked at the exorbitant price.

“Just tell Ruby Gerson that her husband had an accident, but he’s okay,” he instructed.  “Will meet her in Piraeus.”

“How you getting to Piraeus, anyway?” Harwood asked wryly.  “There’s no direct flights, you know.  Plus, where’s your passport?”

Jim wanted to cry.

**********

In the end, Harwood issued Jim a temporary passport, and a stern warning that this was the last favor upon which Jim could ask.  At the same time, the young man sent a desperate cable home to his folks, who wired back just enough money.  Jim settled his hotel bill, then dashed to the airport to hop a last-minute flight to Athens.

The name of the airline Jim couldn’t pronounce.  None of the employees spoke a word of English.  The plane itself must have been in service before the war and rattled like a bucket of nails when huffing down the runway.  Poor Jim spent the entire flight worried that he’d made a dreadful mistake, and that his plane would land in West Germany or Africa.

But his luck held.  The plane went to the right city, and Jim was lucky to find a Greek cab driver who understood enough English.  Within a few hours, he was standing on the cruise ship peer at Piraeus, hopefully looking out to sea.

He’d beaten the _Ange_ by nearly four hours.  Jim could have wandered the local town to kill time, but somehow he just couldn’t.  Standing on that peer was the closest he could physically be to Ruby.  He ached to see her again.

**********

Just when the sun was beginning to set, a white dot appeared on the distant ocean horizon.  Jim squinted, his heart thumping as the dot grew closer.  Soon he could make out a hull and exhaust stacks.  It was the _Ange_!  She was coming in steadily.

Now Jim was impatient.  The cruise vessel seemed to take ages to pull up and then throw lines to the shoremen.  Jim could see tiny faces in the portholes, staring out at Greece behind him.

When the gangplanks were dropped, the young man lost no time in sprinting aboard.  He had a tough time convincing the crew that he was, in fact, a passenger, but eventually he was allowed below decks.  Like a fiend possessed, he raced down to E-Deck, with a Luxury Star steward scrambling to keep up.

But Ruby didn’t answer when he knocked on their cabin door.  Odd.  With a start, Jim realized: it was Saturday night!  The night of their reservation at the Crystal Pavilion.  Perhaps she’d gotten his message and was waiting for him at their table…?

That theory didn’t make a lot of sense, but Jim’s heart was too flustered to think clearly.  Borrowing the steward’s master key, he let himself into his cabin.  Everything was there as he remembered it.

But no Ruby.  Where could she be?

Jim tipped the steward, then showered and changed.  It felt wonderful to climb back into his own clean clothes.  Then, with no-where else to go, he headed back up to A-Deck.

**********

The Crystal Pavilion was crammed with passengers.  Even with the ship docked in Greece, people still wanted their premium reservations.  Ruby would be one of those people, Jim thought hopefully.

He talked his way past the maître d.  The main dining room was as he remembered it, cavernous and opulent.  The string quartet was playing Haydn.  The black-suited wait staff were darting among the customers.  The gentle sound of dishes clinking and quiet chatter permeated everywhere.

Jim, positively frantic now, tried to look in all directions at once.  If only he remembered the table number!  Why, wasn’t it-

**_Wait._ **

There she was.

There was Ruby, wearing a splendid red dinner gown.  She had never looked so beautiful.  With her red hair up and jewelry sparkling from her throat and ears, her face was a vision.  Jim’s breath sucked in as he gazed upon his beloved’s face for the first time in five days.

Doing his best not to trample waiters, Jim navigated the dining floor, drawing close to Ruby, who hadn’t spotted him.  He wanted to yell out in delight.

Finally he was at her side.  Grinning like a fool, Jim dropping into the chair closest to her, his chest heaving.

“Ruby!” he gushed.  “Oh my God, darling, its so good to see you!  I was-“

Ruby leaned back in surprise.

“Excuse me, sir,” she exclaimed.  “…but do I know you?”

**********


	5. It Doesn’t Matter What He Says

Jim couldn’t believe his ears.  “Baby…” he said, confused.  “Its… its me!”

“Yeah,” retorted Ruby.  “Who are you?”

“Who…” Jim felt nauseous.  Was this some cruel joke?

He peered at his wife.  Ruby was searching his face, her brow somewhat wrinkled.  There was not a trace of recognition anywhere in her eyes. 

“Ruby, you know who I am,” Jim said, his voice rising.  People began to look in his direction.  “For Christsakes, I’m… I’m your **_husband!_** ”

“Oh my Lord,” said Ruby disdainfully.  “You’re a crazy man.”

“Ruby!” Jim almost shouted in bewilderment.

“Sir, I’ve never seen you before in my life,” Ruby insisted, rising from her chair and inching away.  “Now I’ll thank you to leave.  Before my actual husband arrives.”

“ ** _I’m_** your husband!” cried Jim, really yelling now.  The waiters and managers were moving in his direction.

At that moment, a tall figure unfolded from the crowd.  Jim gaped as Edmond moved swiftly to Ruby’s side.  Instantly, the young woman slipped her arm around his waist.

“And what is this?” the magician asked, eyeing Jim with distain.

Jim tried one more time: “Ruby…”

But the love of his life ignored him.  “Darling,” she said leaning her head against Edmond’s shoulder, “this… this crazy man just appeared out of no-where.  He says-“

“It doesn’t matter what he says, my darling,” Edmond told Ruby, enfolding her in his arms.

Jim and Edmond locked gazes.  The Frenchman was defiant; the blindsided American in dismay.

Speaking in a cold tone, Edmond stated, “She doesn’t **_remember_** you, sir.”  He snidely added, ”If I were you, I would leave.  Immediately.”

“Ruby Gerson,” Jim said firmly, “I swear up and down that **_I am your husband_**.  I have the marriage certificate to prove it.”

“Is this man disturbing you, M. and Mme. Burnel?” a gruff voice said behind Jim.  He felt a heavy hand on his shoulder.

The Pavilion’s manager had called ship security.  Two scowling security guards were now glowering at Jim, fingering their batons.

Edmond smiled.  “Officers,” he said to the guards, “if you might help me escort this… gentleman… out of the restaurant?”

“You do not want to press charges, _Monsieur?_ ” the manager asked, surprised.

Edmond cocked one wry eyebrow.  “This American man, he is obviously confused, yes?  But he has upset my wife.  If he leaves now, I will overlook his impertinence.”

Jim helplessly looked over at Ruby.  She was turned away, her head down.  He couldn’t see her face.

**********

The guards marched Jim up on deck.  To the young man’s shock, Edmond followed them, keeping a fierce glare on Jim at all times.

“This will do, officers,” the magician said breezily.

The guards, who looked positively anxious to beat Jim for a while, frowned.  But they withdrew.

“You son of a bitch,” seethed Jim, nearly grabbing the hypnotist by the lapels.  “What the hell did you do to her?!?”

“I showed her what a real man is, yes?” Edmond sneered.  “Clearly, she was not that attached to you.”

“You’ll never get away with this,” Jim promised, seeing red.  “One call to Interpol, and I show them our marriage license.  You’ll be through.”

Edmond laughed, a deep and cruel sound.  “Really?” he chortled.  “You mean your marriage license from Las Vegas?  The **_Love Chapel?_**   You poor fool.  I highly doubt that license would be recognized in court, yes?”

The Frenchman leaned in closer.  “My marriage to Ruby, however, was performed by the captain of this vessel.  Entirely legal, I assure you.”

“You Americans, you never think more than one step ahead,” the Frenchmen taunted.  “You’ve known your bride, what, mere **_months?_**   That is not much time.  Of course you were easily erased from her mind.”  Edmond straightened in pride.  “Ruby has always wanted to be married, always wanted a husband who will take her around the world.  Now she has one.”

“You’ll… **_burn in hell_** ,” sputtered Jim, grappling for anything to say.

“Good-bye, James,” Edmond said coldly.  “Go home to your little life.  Ruby is not your concern anymore.”

And with that, the Frenchmen turned and descended back into the ship.

**********

Jim staggered back to his cabin, feeling as if he was hit by a truck.

To his dismay, there were two ship’s bellhops going through his cabin, hurriedly throwing his possessions into cardboard boxes.  An _Ange_ officer supervised this activity, arms crossed.

“Hey!” Jim protested.  He rushed forward.

The officer moved quickly to block the young man.  “Stand back, _Monsieur_ ,” he warned.

“That’s my stuff!” cried Jim.  “Get out of my room!”

“Ship’s regulations, _Monsieur_ ,” the officer said gruffly.  “You caused a great disturbance in the Crystal Pavilion, no?  You disrupted the other passengers?  The captain has ordered that you are set ashore here in Piraeus.”

“You…” said Jim, “…you can’t do that!”

“Luxury Star policy, _Monsieur_ ,” the officer informed him.  “Now stand aside.  You and your belongings will be off the ship in fifteen minutes.”

**********

Because he was on good terms with the captain, M. Burnel was able to secure the Ange’s honeymoon suite for himself and his new American bride.  Ruby had stars in her eyes the moment she saw the luxurious space.

“Just think, my darling,” Edmond told her, kissing her hand.  “We will sail all around the world in accommodations like this one.”

The magician was not exaggerating.  He’d already telegraphed with his Paris-based agent.  Now with Ruby as his official stage assistant, Edmond the Mesmerist was booked on cruise ships for the rest of the year.

Ruby beamed and kissed her husband.  As she wandered off to explore the suite, Edmond admired her figure from behind.

**********

Two nights later, the _Ange des Mers_ was steaming for home port.  Ruby woke in the dead of night, her nude body spooned against her husband.  Edmond snored quietly.

The young woman lay in the darkness, wondering why she felt so uneasy.  It had been a wonderful few days since her shipboard wedding, and Edmond had been nothing but the perfect husband.  It was like he always knew what to say to make her feel desired and beautiful.  And yet…

Unable to calm her thoughts, Ruby slipped from the bed.  She popped on her nightgown and shoes, then her heavy coat.  Making sure to snatch a cabin key, she stole from the honeymoon suite and made her way up to the deck.

The stars were brilliant overhead, and it seemed Ruby had the whole ship to herself.  She stared heavenward, wondering why she felt both so happy and yet so forlorn at the same time.

The cold sea air stung her bare legs.  Ruby hugged herself in the coat, plunging her hands into the deep pockets.  Her fingers closed on something small and smooth.  Surprised, the young woman drew out the object.

It was a small black gift box.  From Edmond?  No, Edmond would make a grand show of giving her a present, of that Ruby was certain.  She frowned, cracking open the little package.

Inside was a heart-shaped locket, suspended on the thinnest of gold chains.  Ruby opened the locket, and squinted to read the inscription within:

_Impulsive and Crazy Forever._

The words seemed random… yet dimly familiar.

Confused, Ruby wondered why she felt so alone.

**********


End file.
